Multijawed chuck-type hydraulic snap-on coupler



Feb. W, 1943. E. P. SUNDHOLM 2,311,097

MULTIJAWED CHUCK-TYPE HYDRAULIC SNAP-ON COUPLER Filed Oct. 17, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Edwin F. Sundholm, Albert City, llowa Application October 17, 1941, Serial No. 415,460

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to a certain new and useful multi-jawed hydraulic snap-on chucktype coupler for use in connecting the discharge hose or conduit of a grease-gun or lubricantdispensing device or pump onto a. headed lubricant-receiving fitting'or nipple.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a more simple and efficient coupler in which the various functions of ripping and sealing against the fitting are performed more efiectively.

Other objects and purposes of the present invention are apparent in the following specification and appended claims and in the accompanying drawings in which the novel features and details of construction of the present invention appear more fully.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present preferred. since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which the invention consists can be variouslyarranged and organized and that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Referring to the drawings in hich like reference characters indicate like parts throughout:

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of on embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 represents a cross-sectional view, on

an enlarged scale of approximately 3 to 1. of the coupler shown in Figure l as it appears when detached from a standard type of lubricantreceiving fitting or nipple.

' Figure 3 represents a cross-sectional view similar to that of Figure 2 but showing the coupler partially superimposed upon the head of the fitting before the gripping jaws have fully passed over the head and have locked behind the head; the gripping jaws being laterally dis tended and the sealing plunger being partially forced inward.

Figure 4 represents a cross-sectional view similar to those of Figures 2 and 3 but showing the coupler in full coupled position with respect to the fitting or nipple.

Figure 5 represents a disassembled view of the coupler shown in Figures 1 to 4.

Figure 6 represents a cross-sectional view of the coupler shown in Figures 1 and 5 as it appears when partially dis-assembled.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a

thereof.

main body housing or shell is provided of generally tubular formation having a reduced opening Ed in the forward end thereof. The housing 2|] is formed with an internal general cylindrical bore 22. The housing may be internally threaded as at 23 in the rearmost portionthereof.

A knurled area 24 may be provided about the outer surface of the housing to give a gripping surface thereon.

An inner annular camming surface 25 is provided at the forward end of the shell 20 adjacent the opening 2i A generally cylindrical sealing plunger 26 having an axial opening 21 therein and having a generally concave, spherical sealing surface 28 at the outer or forward end thereof, is provided within said housing 20. The sealing surface 30, instead of being spherical, may be of any other suitable shape to correspond with the shape of the sealing surface of the fitting to be hereinafter described. The rearmost or inner end of the plunger 26 has a slightly reduced outside diameter as shown at 29. A collar 30 having a central opening 3! is slidably mounted upon the reduced rear portion 29 of the sealing plunger 26. The collar 80 is preferably formed with an annular shoulder 32 at the forward end thereof.

A plurality, preferably 3, of nipple-gripping jaws 33, each transversely curved to form approximately one-third of the circumference, surround the plunger 26 and extend forwardly beyond the front end thereof to a suitable extent. The front ends of the jaws 33 terminate in inwardly extending nipple-gripping fingers 34 having outer inclined camming surfaces 35 adapted to ride upon and to co-act with the inclined annular inner camming surface 25 of the shell or housing 20.

The rearmost ends of the jaws 33 are seated against the front face 35 of the collar 30.

A plug member 31 indicated generally by the numeral 31 in Figure 6, is provided with the externally threaded tubular portion 38 which is adapted. to be screwed into the threaded portion 23 of the shell or housing 20 and to form a fluidtight seal therewith. The protruding portion 39 may be formed with a pair of flattened sides 40 upon the otherwise-cylindrical outer periphery Instead of providing the sides M, I may make the outer surface of the protruding portion polygonal; as for example, hexagonal.

The tubular portion 38 has the inner cylindrical bore 4| within which the rearmost portion of the collar 30 is adapted to move slidably; the

shoulder 32 of the collar 30 serving to limit the inward motion of the collar 30 within the bore 4 l A generally cup-shaped leather or suitable composition washer 42 having the central opening 43 is disposed within the bore 4|. A helical compression spring 44 is maintained within the tubular portion 38 by the washer 42.

The wall 43 at the rear of the cylindrical bore 4| is provided with a central opening 46 and forms a support for the rear end of the spring 44.

An internally threaded socket 41 may be provided within the protruding portion 33 of the plug member 31. The socket 41 is adapted to form a connection between the coupler and any conventional lubricant-supply line 48.

As shown particularly in Figures 2, 3 and 4, the opening 43 of the sealing member or washer 42 coincides generally with the inner end of the axial opening 21 of the sealing plunger 26. As illustrated in Figure 4, the washer 42 is adapted to provide a single sealing surface for the inner end of the sealing plunger 26 as well as the inner face of the collar 34. Thus, when lubricant is passed through the coupler, as will be hereinafter described, the washer 42 serves to prevent leakage of lubricant between the sealing plunger 26 and the collar 30 as well as between the collar 30 and the inner bore 4i.

The coupler of the present invention is adapted to be connected to a fitting 49, shown in Figure 2, of a form now well known and in common use. The fitting 49 may have a head portion '50 with a convex sealing surface 5| which may be spherical or any other suitable shape. An undercut shoulder 52 is provided at the rear of the head 50 and is adapted to be engaged by the fingers 34 of the nipple-gripping jaws 33, when said fingers 34 are contracted in a radially-inward direction, under the influence of the spring 44, by the action of the camming surface 25 upon the camming surfaces 35 of the laws 33.

The fitting 49 is also provided with an opening 53 passing therethrough and communicating (when said coupler and said fitting are operatively engaged, as shown in Figure 4) with the openings 21, 43, 4|, 43 and 41, and with the lubricant supply line or conduit 48.

The fitting 49 is also provided with a check valve, including the check ball 54 and the spring 55, of conventional construction.

The operation of the coupler of the present invention will now be described.

When the coupler is not in use, the washer 42 is forced forward by the spring 44 against the collar 30; the collar 30 in turn forcing the nipple-gripping jaws 33 into their forwardmost position in which the gripping fingers 34 are radially contracted. In this inoperative position, the sealing plunger 26, as shown in Figure 2, is capable of slight free axial movement; the reduced rear portion 29 of said plunger 26 being slidably movable within the opening 3i of said collar 30.

When the coupler is connected to the fitting 49, the act of forcing the coupler over the rounded head portion 50 of the fitting 49 first moves the fingers 34 of the jaws 33 backwardly and radially outwardly against the spring 44 into the intermediate position shown in Figure 3.

As the head 50 of the fitting 49 penetrates further within the forward opening 2| of the housing 20, the sealing surface 5| of said head 50 contacts the concave sealing surface 28 of the plunger 26 and forces the sealing plunger 26 inwardly until the inner end of said plunger 24 is 75 forced into fluid-tight sealing relationship with the washer 42.

When the head lill of the fitting 43 has penetrated sumciently far, the fingers 34 of the jaws 5 33 are again forced forwardly and radially inwardly by the spring 44 to enclose the undercut shoulder 52 of the head 50 and therebyto exert a gripping action preventing the involuntary dis, lodgement of the coupler from the fitting 49. However, due to the fact that the spring 44 is relatively weak, the coupler may readily be disconnected from the fitting 49 when it is not held thereupon by hydraulic pressure of the lubricant, -by merely pulling or tilting said coupler sumciently to spread the jaws 33 and to permit them to ride over the head 50 and to uncouple therefrom.

Thus, when the coupler has been seated fully upon the" fitting 49, the gripping jaws 33 are in an advanced position encircling the undercut shoulder 52 of said fitting 49, while the sealing plunger 26 is in a retracted position in which it is forced against the sealing surface l'il of the head 50 by the action of the spring 44 transmit- 5 ted through the washer 42.

When fluid (as for example, lubricating grease) under pressure is introduced from the conduit or supply line 48 into the coupler, the pressure of the fluid acting upon the washer 42 is trans- 0 mitted to the sealing plunger 26 as well as to the collar 30 and the gripping jaws 33. This pressure forces the jaws 33 forward with a much greater force than that exerted by the spring 44, and causes the fingers 34 to grip the under- 5 cut shoulder 52 with a high degree of pressure and thereby to hold the coupler upon the fitting 49 firmly and irremovably. At the same time, the sealing plunger is forced forwardly by the fluid pressure, acting through the washer 42, into fluid-tight sealing relationship with the sealing surface 6| of the head 30 of the fitting 49.

The component elements of the coupler are so proportioned that the area of the back wall of the sealing plunger 26 is substantially less than the area of the back wall of the collar 30 so that the hydraulic force tending to press the sealing surface 28 of the plunger 26 is substantially less than the force transmitted to the gripping jaws as by the collar to.

As the fluid-tight sealing relationship is established between the coupler and the fitting, the lubricant passes from the supply line or conduit 48 through the coupler and into the fitting 49; the check ball '54 being forced inward against the spring 55 to permit flow of lubricant into the fitting. As long as the lubricant is passing through under pressure, the coupler and fitting are maintained in fluid-tight and irremovable relationship. When the pressure of lubricant is cut off, the jaws 33 and the sealing plunger 26 are held in their respective forward positions only by the spring 44 so that, when the period of lubrication has ended, the fitting may readily be removed.

If desired, a check valve of any conventional type (not shown) may be provided to prevent the free return of fiuid into the conduit 48 rearwardly of the coupler. Such a check valve may be placed, for example. within the threaded socket 41 of the plug member 31.

As shown in Figure 6, it is possible partially to disassemble the coupler of the present invention into several more or less integral units. Thus, by unscrewing the plug member 31 from the main housing or shell 20, the unit including the plug member 377, the spring M and the washer d2 may be removed from the main housing or shell Ell, as shown in Figure 6.

The several components of the coupler may be further disassembled as shown in the exploded view of Figure 5.

I have found that the construction shown in the drawings, in which the washer M provides a seal between the plunger 26 and the collar 30 as well as between the collar 30 and the bore M operates more emciently and eflectively in prevent-- ing the leakage of lubricant and also greatly simplifies the construction of the coupler.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

The invention having been hereinabove described, what is hereby claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is:

1. A multl-jawed hydraulic snap-on lubricantdelivery coupler for use on headed lubricantreceiving nipples, including a generally tubular housing shell, a plug member removably affixed to the rear end of said housing shell, said plug member having a generally cylindrical inner bore communicating with said tubular housing shell, a cup-like flexible sealing washer slidably disposed within said cylindrical inner bore, a spring forcing said washer forwardly within said inner bore, an apertured collar slidably mounted within said housing shell and serving the dual functions of a piston in relation to the inner bore of said plug member and in relation to nipple-gripping jaws contained within said tubular housing shell, and as a cylinder for the reception therewithin of a seal-effecting piston, a generally tubular metallic sealing plunger hav ing a relatively hard metallic outer concave endsealing surface for sealing-contact with the head of a nipple and having a reduced rear piston-like portion slidably disposed within the aperture of said dual cylinder-piston, said sealing washer being adapted to be forced into contact with the reduced end of said sealing plunger and with said apertured collar when said coupler is operatively connected to said nipple thereby to form a fluid-tight seal between said ,plunger and said collar and between said collar and said cylindrical inner bore, a plurality of circumferentially distributed more or less rigid jaw members, each having an in-turned claw for interlockingly en-= gaging beneath the head or said nipple, said jaw members being formed separately and in nonintegral relation to said dual cylinder-piston but being arranged to be propelled forwardly thereby into interlocking engagement with the head of the nipple, said jaw members being disposed between sald tubular shell and said sealing plunger; said tubular housing shell having an in-turned inner camming flange at its discharge end for cammingly engaging the outer surfaces of the inturned claw portions of said jaws, without engaging the rest of said jaws rearwardly of the intumed claws thereof.

2. A multi-jawed chuck-type hydraulic snapon coupler for use with a headed fluid-receiving nipple including a generally tubular housing shell, a cylinder formed at the rear end of said shell, an apertured cup-like flexible sealing washer slidably mounted within said cylinder, a spring forcing said sealing washer forwardly within said cylinder, a piston slidably mounted within said cylinder and having an annular shoulder at the forward end thereof, said piston having a cylindrical bore therethrough, an apertu'red sealing plunger within said housing shell having its rear end slidably mounted within the cylindrical inner bore of said piston and having a sealing face at its forward end adapted to establish fluid-tight sealing contact with a headed nipple, said sealing washer being adapted to contact the rear end of said sealing plunger and the rear face of said cylinder-piston and to establish a fluid-tight seal between said sealing plunger and said cylinder-piston and between said cylinder-piston and said cylinder, a plurality of nipple-gripping jaws circumferentially disposed intermediate said sealing plunger and said housing shell and adapted to be moved forwardly by forward movement of said cylinder-piston, and juxtaposed co-acting camming surfaces upon said jaws and said housing shell for translating a forward pressure upon said cylinder into a gripping pressure of said jaws.

3. A multi-jawed chuck-type hydraulic snapon coupler for use with a headed fluid-receiving nipple including a generally tubular housing, a plurality of nipple-gripping jaws disposed within the forward end of said housing, a generally tubular nipple-sealing member disposed within the forward end of said housing, a jaw-actuating piston operatively disposed within said housing rearwardly of said jaws, and a spring-pressed flexible cup-like apertured sealing washer disposed wlthin said housing and adapted to establish a fluid-tight seal with said housing, with said piston and with said nipple-sealing, member.

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